“Our attitude all along has been that to make the top 10 is fabulous and we’re happy for the honor. There are 1,200 community colleges in the country and to be in the top 10, we are very happy with that,” said Michael Kelly, MCC spokesman.

The Washington D.C.-based non-profit Aspen Institute had made MCC one of its finalists for the chance to share in $1 million in prize money as part of its effort to find the No. 1 model of community college success

After an exhaustive, one-year search that included a campus visit to MCC, Aspen on Monday named Valencia College of Orlando, Fla. the first place winner.

Valencia College, which was praised for its diverse student population, success in serving minority and low-income students and boasting the highest employment rate among graduates, wins a $600,000 prize.

Four other “finalists with distinction” will receive $100,000. The other finalists included Lake Area Technical Institute of Watertown, S.D.; Miami Dade College of Miami, Fla.; Walla Walla Community College ofWalla, Wash; and West Kentucky Community and Technical College of Paducah, Ky.

“To be in this company of the best of the best community colleges in the country is a great achievement and it will give us encouragement to improve and do even better in the future,” said Kelly.

During a luncheon attended by four MCC officials in Washington Monday, the MCC campus was recognized for its workforce development program that helped students find jobs in one of the toughest economic environments in the country, Kelly said.

“Being one of the top ten is itself something to celebrate. Mott Community College’s work to provide thousands of students with educational opportunity pays off for students and the community,” Aspen Institute College Excellence Program Executive Director Joshua Wyner said in a statement.

“With so many challenges facing the community, Mott is doing incredible things for its students and the local area.”

Finalists were selected based on a rigorous review of colleges’ data on student learning, degree completion and transfer, equity and employment/earnings after college.

The first-ever Aspen Prize intended to identify the strongest examples of community colleges in the country that could be studied and replicated.

“I think the key value in this is not only to recognize the best practices so we can serve as models for one another but to also recognize the role community colleges are playing in our country,” Kelly said.

“We are in an era where education is critical. Unskilled, well-paying jobs simply have disappeared and it’s the community colleges that are doing the work that needs to be done.

“What pleases us is the recognition that we are one of the best and that the work our industry is doing is so important.”